In the Grip of a Hurricane

Florence + The Machine has been a staple of my music since last summer and her albums more or less define the first few months of my experience living in California. No song does a better job at flying me west to San Francisco than “Hurricane Drunk” from Lungs, and its because of this ability that it’s become my most frequently played F+TM song (and possibly my favorite).

It reminds me of the second day I ever spent in San Francisco: July 17, 2011. The opening harp sounds have become to me synonymous with the sun setting on the Golden Gate bridge, the chorus brings back the smell of coastal flowers in the air and the view of the city skyline in the distance. Sixteen months later, the feeling is just as strong as if I were back there at this moment.

Curiously, the lyrics describe something completely opposite from how I feel whenever I hear the song. I guess music is just extraordinary like that.